Rare Old Map of Lewes, Delaware by USGS, 1918 – Cape Henlopen, Delaware Bay & Rehoboth Bay
My maps are rare, museum-grade, restored old maps sourced from libraries, auction houses and private collections across the globe. Full description
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Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.The Collector’s Offer
Choose two eligible works and receive 20% off both. Choose three and the lowest-priced one is complimentary, a maximum saving of 33%.
Mix and match eligible standard maps and fine-art prints. No code is required; the offer is applied automatically at checkout.
Standard made-to-order configurations are included. Bespoke sizes, personalised designs and commissioned work are excluded.
Need delivery to different addresses? Contact us before ordering.
Restored in London • Printed and framed in the USA
My maps are rare, museum-grade, restored old maps sourced from libraries, auction houses and private collections across the globe. Full description
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If you want to add a gift message, or a finish (jigsaw, aluminium board, etc.) that is not available here, please request it in the "order note" when you check out.
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Published in 1918 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Cape Henlopen” presents the Delaware coast at a moment when its maritime geography, wetlands,...
Continue readingPublished in 1918 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Cape Henlopen” presents the Delaware coast at a moment when its maritime geography, wetlands, roads, and settlements still retained much of their early twentieth-century character. Drawn at a 1:62,500 scale, the map centers on Lewes, Delaware, and the strategic curve of Cape Henlopen where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its topographical language is precise and elegant: contour lines trace the slight rises and subtle relief of a low coastal landscape, while shaded color and hydrographic detail distinguish land, marsh, bay, and ocean. The result is both scientific document and coastal portrait, capturing a region defined by tidal water, sandy margins, sheltered harbors, and the fragile transitions between firm ground and wetland.
The U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought a new standard of national precision to American mapping, and this sheet reflects the agency’s disciplined approach to terrain, settlement, and natural systems. Rather than presenting the coast as a decorative outline, the USGS rendered Cape Henlopen as a working landscape of elevation, drainage, transportation, and habitation. Lewes appears as the principal populated place, linked by roads to surrounding settlements and rural tracts, while the map’s carefully placed contour lines reveal how modest changes in height shaped movement and development. In a coastal zone where inches of elevation could determine marsh, field, or roadbed, this topographical attention is especially meaningful, offering a clear view of how geography governed everyday life.
Cape Henlopen itself has long held strategic importance, guarding the entrance to Delaware Bay and the approach to the Delaware River corridor beyond. On this map, the cape is shown in relation to Breakwater Harbor and the Harbor of Refuge, names that speak to the hazards and necessities of navigation along this exposed Atlantic edge. These protected waters were vital to vessels seeking shelter from storms, shoals, and shifting coastal conditions. The mapped juxtaposition of open ocean, bay entrance, and engineered refuge evokes a maritime world of pilots, fishermen, coastal trade, and naval awareness. In 1918, during the final year of the First World War, such coastal geography carried practical significance as well as local identity.
The surrounding landscape is rendered as a tapestry of bays, marshes, roads, and low-lying terrain characteristic of the Delmarva Peninsula. Rehoboth Bay appears to the south, while the Indian River and nearby wetlands suggest the hydrological complexity of the region. The map’s distinctive coastal representation emphasizes tidal margins and waterlogged ground, where the boundary between land and water is less a line than a living edge. This is a terrain shaped by barrier sands, estuarine flows, salt marshes, and shallow bays, all of which influenced settlement patterns and transportation routes. The sparing but exact contouring underscores the flatness of the coastal plain, making even the smallest rises legible and historically informative.
As a historical record, “Cape Henlopen” preserves a coastal Delaware that predates many later transformations in tourism, infrastructure, shoreline management, and environmental change. The Lewes and Rehoboth region would become increasingly associated with seaside recreation and development, yet this map captures a quieter geography of roads, wetlands, harbors, and dispersed settlement. Its value lies in the way it fixes a particular moment before extensive modern alteration, allowing the viewer to compare early twentieth-century land use and natural features with the present coast. For collectors, it offers more than a map of place: it is a finely observed document of an American shoreline in transition, where scientific cartography meets the enduring romance of bays, capes, and the open Atlantic.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Lewes
- Cape Henlopen
- Breakwater Harbor
- Harbor of Refuge
- Delmarva Peninsula
- Delaware Bay
- Atlantic Ocean
- Rehoboth Bay
- Indian River
- Nearby marshes and wetlands
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:62,500 topographical map produced in 1918.
- Published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
- The USGS, established in 1879, played a key role in the systematic mapping and geological understanding of the United States.
- Uses a typical early 20th-century topographical style, including color shading to show elevation changes.
- Features clear contour lines outlining the relief and flatness of the coastal terrain.
- Includes distinctive cartographic treatment of coastal areas.
- Captures the area before significant later development and environmental change.
- Provides a snapshot of the early 20th-century coastal landscape, including historic land use and natural features.
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Published in 1918 by the U.S. Geological Survey, “Cape Henlopen” presents the Delaware coast at a moment when its maritime geography, wetlands, roads, and settlements still retained much of their early twentieth-century character. Drawn at a 1:62,500 scale, the map centers on Lewes, Delaware, and the strategic curve of Cape Henlopen where Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. Its topographical language is precise and elegant: contour lines trace the slight rises and subtle relief of a low coastal landscape, while shaded color and hydrographic detail distinguish land, marsh, bay, and ocean. The result is both scientific document and coastal portrait, capturing a region defined by tidal water, sandy margins, sheltered harbors, and the fragile transitions between firm ground and wetland.
The U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879, brought a new standard of national precision to American mapping, and this sheet reflects the agency’s disciplined approach to terrain, settlement, and natural systems. Rather than presenting the coast as a decorative outline, the USGS rendered Cape Henlopen as a working landscape of elevation, drainage, transportation, and habitation. Lewes appears as the principal populated place, linked by roads to surrounding settlements and rural tracts, while the map’s carefully placed contour lines reveal how modest changes in height shaped movement and development. In a coastal zone where inches of elevation could determine marsh, field, or roadbed, this topographical attention is especially meaningful, offering a clear view of how geography governed everyday life.
Cape Henlopen itself has long held strategic importance, guarding the entrance to Delaware Bay and the approach to the Delaware River corridor beyond. On this map, the cape is shown in relation to Breakwater Harbor and the Harbor of Refuge, names that speak to the hazards and necessities of navigation along this exposed Atlantic edge. These protected waters were vital to vessels seeking shelter from storms, shoals, and shifting coastal conditions. The mapped juxtaposition of open ocean, bay entrance, and engineered refuge evokes a maritime world of pilots, fishermen, coastal trade, and naval awareness. In 1918, during the final year of the First World War, such coastal geography carried practical significance as well as local identity.
The surrounding landscape is rendered as a tapestry of bays, marshes, roads, and low-lying terrain characteristic of the Delmarva Peninsula. Rehoboth Bay appears to the south, while the Indian River and nearby wetlands suggest the hydrological complexity of the region. The map’s distinctive coastal representation emphasizes tidal margins and waterlogged ground, where the boundary between land and water is less a line than a living edge. This is a terrain shaped by barrier sands, estuarine flows, salt marshes, and shallow bays, all of which influenced settlement patterns and transportation routes. The sparing but exact contouring underscores the flatness of the coastal plain, making even the smallest rises legible and historically informative.
As a historical record, “Cape Henlopen” preserves a coastal Delaware that predates many later transformations in tourism, infrastructure, shoreline management, and environmental change. The Lewes and Rehoboth region would become increasingly associated with seaside recreation and development, yet this map captures a quieter geography of roads, wetlands, harbors, and dispersed settlement. Its value lies in the way it fixes a particular moment before extensive modern alteration, allowing the viewer to compare early twentieth-century land use and natural features with the present coast. For collectors, it offers more than a map of place: it is a finely observed document of an American shoreline in transition, where scientific cartography meets the enduring romance of bays, capes, and the open Atlantic.
Cities, towns and places on this map
- Lewes
- Cape Henlopen
- Breakwater Harbor
- Harbor of Refuge
- Delmarva Peninsula
- Delaware Bay
- Atlantic Ocean
- Rehoboth Bay
- Indian River
- Nearby marshes and wetlands
Historical context & cartographic details
- Historical 1:62,500 topographical map produced in 1918.
- Published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
- The USGS, established in 1879, played a key role in the systematic mapping and geological understanding of the United States.
- Uses a typical early 20th-century topographical style, including color shading to show elevation changes.
- Features clear contour lines outlining the relief and flatness of the coastal terrain.
- Includes distinctive cartographic treatment of coastal areas.
- Captures the area before significant later development and environmental change.
- Provides a snapshot of the early 20th-century coastal landscape, including historic land use and natural features.
Looking for a particular place? Review the detailed images to confirm that the town, landmark or feature you have in mind appears on the map. If you are unsure, ask our workshop to check before you order.
Detailed maps are especially rewarding at larger sizes, where names, boundaries and decorative features have more room to be appreciated. Use the close-up preview and size guide to choose the right scale for your wall.
This map looks amazing at sizes all the way up to 50in (125cm). If you are looking for a larger map, please get in touch.
The model in the listing images is holding the 16x20in (40x50cm) version of this map.
Where personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. See personalised map examples.
Every piece is printed to museum-grade archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte paper. Choose an unframed map print, framed map or canvas using the finish options above. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
With its rich detail and strong sense of place, this map makes a considered gift for a new home, anniversary, retirement or anyone with a personal connection to the area shown. Still deciding? Explore our collection of rare old and vintage maps to discover another place, period or style.
This map is also available as a float framed canvas, sometimes known as a shadow gap framed canvas or canvas floater. The map is printed on artist's cotton canvas and then stretched over a handmade box frame. We then "float" the canvas inside a wooden frame, which is available in a range of colours (black, dark brown, oak, antique gold and white). This is a wonderful way to present a map without glazing in front. See some examples of float framed canvas maps and explore the differences between my different finishes.
For something truly unique, this map is also available in "Unique 3D", our trademarked process that dramatically transforms the map so that it has a wonderful sense of depth. We combine the original map with detailed topography and elevation data, so that mountains and the terrain really "pop". For more info and examples of 3D maps, check my Unique 3D page.
Many of our maps and art prints are chosen as thoughtful gifts for homes, offices, studies and meaningful places.
Choose a framed option for the easiest ready-to-hang gift, or choose an unframed print if the recipient may prefer to select their own frame.
We make orders locally in 23 countries around the world, so gifts can often be produced close to the recipient. This helps them arrive faster, travel more safely, and avoid customs or import duty surprises.
- We can deliver directly to the recipient
- Framed pieces arrive ready to hang
- Unframed prints are carefully packed in a strong protective tube
- Almost every order is made locally, for faster, safer gifting
- 90-day returns give the recipient time to decide
If you are not sure what to choose, please contact us. We can help you pick the right map, size, finish or delivery option.
Most orders are made locally and delivered in around 2–3 working days, depending on the product, size and destination.
We print and frame maps and artwork in 23 countries around the world, so your order is usually made close to you or your recipient. That means faster delivery, less time in transit, and no customs or import duty surprises.
Personalised and customised pieces usually take an extra 1–2 working days, because we prepare your design and send it to you for approval before printing.
Very large framed orders can take a little longer, as they need extra care in production and delivery.
Every order is carefully packaged: unframed prints are sent in a strong protective tube, while framed pieces are securely packed with protective materials around the frame.
If you need your order by a particular date, please contact us before ordering. We’ll check the best production route and delivery option for your location.
Express delivery is available at checkout for most countries. Next-day delivery is available in the UK, US, Singapore and the UAE.
Your order is covered by our 90-day returns policy and 10-year guarantee.
Our standard frame is a gallery-style black ash hardwood frame, with a simple, modern look. It is approximately 20mm (0.8in) wide. You can also view some lovely customer photos of framed maps and art.
We use super-clear acrylic glazing, also known as Perspex or Acrylite, instead of traditional glass. It is lighter, safer, and has lower reflectivity, giving the artwork a clearer, cleaner appearance.
Six standard frame colours are available at no extra cost: black, dark brown, dark grey, oak, white, and antique gold. Custom framing and mounting/matting is also available for customers looking for something more specific.
Most maps, art prints, and illustrations are also available as a framed canvas. We use matte cotton canvas, stretch it over a sustainably sourced wooden box frame, and then float the piece within a wooden outer frame. The finished result is beautifully presented, with no glazing between you and the artwork.
All frames are supplied ready to hang, with either string or brackets fitted to the back. Very large frames will include heavy-duty hanging plates and/or a mounting baton. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
We can also supply old maps and artwork on canvas, foam board, cotton rag, and other materials.
If you would prefer to frame your map or artwork yourself, please read our size guide before ordering.
Every Unique Maps piece begins with an authentic cartographic source or an original design from our London studio.
For our historic maps, we source rare originals from libraries, archives, auction houses and private collections around the world. We carefully restore each map for print—repairing age-related damage, balancing colour and improving clarity while preserving its original detail, texture and character.
Once restored, the map is prepared for your chosen size and finish. Your piece is then printed and, where selected, framed close to its delivery destination.
Our map prints use acid-free 200gsm archival matte paper and fade-resistant pigment inks, creating a rich, non-glossy finish designed to last. Framed maps use crystal-clear optical acrylic and arrive ready to hang.
Canvas, cotton-rag and other specialist presentations are also available. Learn more about our materials and finishes.
Personalising your map
You can add a short title or dedication, mark one meaningful place, or request one considered visual detail. For personalised designs, we send a proof before printing and you can request changes before approval.
For more complex bespoke commissions, contact our design team.
Original or Aged
Choose Original for true-to-source colour, or Aged for a warmer, richer antique character created with our specialist ageing process. See examples of our Aged maps.
We’ve been restoring and producing maps and art prints since 1984, and we stand behind every piece.
Every order is covered by our 10-year guarantee and damage-free delivery guarantee. If your piece arrives damaged, we’ll replace or remake it free of charge. If anything else isn’t right, contact our workshop team and we’ll put it right promptly.
See our returns and refund policy for full details.
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